Fly Geyser

Located on a gated parcel of private property within the million-acre Black Rock Desert, Fly Geyser is not a natural phenomenon. It was created accidentally in 1964 from a geothermal test well inadequately capped. The scalding water has erupted from the well since then, leaving calcium carbonate deposits growing at the rate of several inches per year. The brilliant red and green coloring on the mounds is from thermophilic algae thriving in the extreme micro-climate of the geysers. Unfortunately, Fly Geyser is not at this time open to the public. The property (Fly Ranch) was purchased in 2016 by Burning Man Project. Read more here.

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Click and drag to explore Fly Geyser.Touch here for the phone/tablet version. Touch here for the HMD version.

27 Responses to “Fly Geyser”

Fly Ranch will be purchased by the Burning Man Organization for 6.5 Million ! That will be finally the time to see the beautiful Fly Geyser! Do it could be costli Fly Guyser was owned by the Bright Holland Co.

My friend sent pictures of the geyser, and all I could say was, WOW! Yes, I, along with thousands of others would love it to be opened to the public, even for a fee. It’s beautiful. But, just like others who have responded, I so understand how disrespectful people are… throwing trash around, writing/defacing properties, and even being filthy in the bathrooms.

IF, there is ever a decision to do something more, please send me the info, as you now have my email.

Brunos knows nothing about Fly Geyser. They will not put anyone in touch with the owner. Is there any other way to ask the owner about a tour? I’d just like to see the geyser and take some photos.

I completely respect the desire to keep people off the property because people are disrespectful slobs, but I’m not one of them! I’m not looking to put anyone out and would never try to sneak onto the property without permission. Any other ideas?

Thanks for the great site and the way you connected it to the map. Indeed one could only wish that it would be a bit more accessible. Maybe open once a week for several hours. Still I respect their wish. Thanks for sharing.

I’m from this general area of Nevada and it geyser used to be open to the public but got closed off years ago because the public was trashing it. There is now a group (The Fly Ranch Project) that is working on turning this area in a sustainable and ecologically friendly area that is open to the public. You can read more about it and donate to the project here: http://flyranchproject.org/.

Some people might equate it to “selling out,” but no doubt the property owner could make some decent money by charging an admission. And I don’t doubt that he/she/they have thought about that before, as well – and probably very quickly realized that it would either require hiring a gatekeeper, or imposing an obligation (“reliable hours” and all that) which could be a rather intimidating burden. That is the kind of obligation that’s difficult for an individual to handle.

I’d really like to see it (not to mention the “Black Rock City” and Gerlach area, and hang about a bit, hear more about Burning Man, etc.), and a trip later this year might actually take me from Grants Pass to Reno, which would be a perfect excuse.

Burning Man WAS on my bucket list for years, until (1) I found out how long ahead I have to be certain of the trip, not to mention the cost of tickets, and (2) just the idea of spending days in bright sunshine and hundred-degree weather on a massive nullarbor plateau. No, not my idea of fun.

The owner of the property does not allow public access to his property. The geyser is visible from the road, but you need high power binoculars or at least a 500mm telephoto lens to even get a partial look at it. I don’t know how they got the pictures shown on the Internet, but that kind of view is not possible from the road. There is not much other than the Nevada scenery along the 100 mile trip on HWY 447 to see the geyser. Bruno’s in Gerlach is a good place to eat…the only place to eat. The population of Gerlach is about 80 people. I did enjoy the trip out there, but was disappointed at not being able to see the geyser like I thought I would be able to.

The geyser used to be open to the public, but people tend to be pigs (I’d hate to see their homes) and would leave their trash and cigarette butts and the like instead of cleaning up after themselves, they just didn’t care. One of the unspoken rules of the Blackrock is pack it in, pack it out. So, people were just destroying the area like only humans know how to do.

The owner of the land might let you in for photography but you have to be nice and don’t stay long, he’s an old guy now. Otherwise, use the zoom lens and admire from afar.

You can only see this from the road, and it is probably almost a 1/4 miles from the road. If you have at least a 500mm telephoto lens you might get some good pictures. It takes about 2 hours to get there from Reno, and it is over 80 miles north of HWY 80. The owner does not allow the public on his property.

Although it is not a natural phenomenon, the occurring formations as a result of the highly calcified water are a unique wonder in their own right.
It is on private property, it is visible from a reasonable distance, but from what I have heard the owners of the property do not welcome visitors. My advice would be to take a camera with a powerful zoom lens, and plan on spending more time driving than exploring the property. It’s in a relatively desolate area, so make sure you have fuel and water. To me, it’s worth the trip. (As part of a larger expedition).

This is nice,,, but I guess it will be temporary too……Leave it like it is someone owns it ,, not the government

A prior well-drilling attempt in 1917 resulted in the creation of a man-made geyser close to the currently active Fly Geyser; it created a pillar of calcium carbonate about 12 feet (3.7 m) tall, but ceased when the Fly Geyser began releasing water in 1964.[4]